In Fallout 3, the creation and development of a character is under a player's control. The decisions made at character creation and at level-ups, as well as the gameplay choices made during the game, contribute to the specific character build.

There are 20 bobbleheads to be found in-game - one for each of the 7 SPECIAL stats and one for each of the 13 skills. Once picked up, each bobblehead permanently raises a SPECIAL stat by one point or a skill by 10 points.